


when it rains, it pours, pours, pours

by firstlove_latespring



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Developing Relationship, Drinking, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Kinda, Kissing, M/M, Minor Boo Seungkwan/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Minor Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Multi, Pining, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Smooching, an ode to hoshi and his drunk kisses, horanghae, let hoshi smooch all his homies, supportive friends, yes that's a tag now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28603245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firstlove_latespring/pseuds/firstlove_latespring
Summary: soonyoung has two best friends and both of them are In Love with soonyoung. luckily, soonyoung has two hands and lots of love to give.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Seokmin | DK, Jeon Wonwoo/Lee Seokmin | DK, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Seokmin | DK
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43
Collections: Seventeen Rare Pair Fest: 2 Rare 2 Pair





	when it rains, it pours, pours, pours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scensate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scensate/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SVTRarePairFest2](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SVTRarePairFest2) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>  soonyoung wants to introduce his childhood best friend to his college best friend. except, despite having never met, said best friends wonwoo and seokmin secretly despise each other because they're both harboring massive crushes on oblivious soonyoung and soonyoung will Not Shut Up about how fond he is of the other
> 
> the title is from madisenxoxo's song [baby in blue](https://youtu.be/lScl0vSDzqw)

The Problem might have begun the moment Wonwoo became complacent. Complacency isn’t always a bad thing but in Wonwoo’s case it might have been his biggest mistake. The problem isn’t that he’s been in love with his best friend since they met in the ninth grade, or the fact that he hasn’t done anything about it. The problem is that Wonwoo now has a rival for Soonyoung’s time and affection, a problem named Lee Seokmin.

Wonwoo didn’t think much of Seokmin when Soonyoung started mentioning him in their conversations. Seokmin was a junior of Soonyoung’s at his uni, someone who Wonwoo doesn’t know because he goes to a different school. At first it was simple things like hanging out with their groups of friends and studying together. But nowadays, Wonwoo feels like Soonyoung’s been ditching him to be with Seokmin instead.

“It’s like I’m not even your best friend anymore,” Wonwoo had half-jokingly complained. Soonyoung had rolled his eyes at him, not taking them off his phone where he was texting Seokmin. “You’re always with him. And if you’re with me all you talk about is him. You don’t even hang out with me anymore unless I come over.”

“You’re still my best friend, dummy,” Soonyoung said, locking his phone to give Wonwoo his full attention. “And besides, who says I can’t have two best friends?”

“But I’ve been your best friend since middle school,” Wonwoo reminded him and pulled him closer by the shoulders. “That’s basically forever.”

“I know. But it’s not like I’m not allowed to have other friends, right?” Soonyoung poked at him. “You can have another best friend too, if you want.”

“I’ll pass. I already have you to deal with,” Wonwoo teased, a smile grew on his face. “And I don’t think Jun or Jihoon would grant me the official title of being either one of their best friends.”

“I guess you’re stuck with me!” Soonyoung said gleefully, and Wonwoo smiled too, nose scrunching up, endlessly fond.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing, though?” Wonwoo said, letting Soonyoung cuddle into his side. 

“No, not at all,” Soonyoung said into Wonwoo’s shoulder, giving him a hug. “I’m glad we’re best friends.”

Wonwoo had allowed himself to melt into Soonyoung’s warm words and touches. Content and complacent of where they are and who they are to each other. Wonwoo didn’t think about it much back then. He didn’t think that it would lead to his current conversation with Soonyoung.

“I want you to meet Seokmin,” Soonyoung tells Wonwoo, tone serious, something Wonwoo doesn’t hear too often. “He’s my official college best friend now and I want both my best friends to meet each other.”

“What’s the point of having the title of best friend when there are two of us?” Wonwoo teases. He chuckles when Soonyoung pouts at him, his fingers quick to pull away the pocketbook from Wonwoo’s hands. 

“Please?” Soonyoung pouts at him. And that’s all that it takes for Wonwoo to agree and go along with what he wants.

“Okay…” Wonwoo relents, letting out a deep breath. “But just because he’s your college best friend doesn’t mean that I have to like him too.”

Soonyoung makes a disapproving sound and smacks Wonwoo with his own book on his chest. It’s not that hard but Wonwoo complains like Soonyoung really hit him. Soonyoung smacks him again, just for good measure.

“But Seokmin is nice!" Soonyoung continues to defend him. "He always takes care of me whenever we go out drinking together and lets me kiss him as much as I want to!”

Wonwoo tries not to let the image of Soonyoung kissing someone else burn too much in his mind. He knows and respects the fact that Soonyoung is very affectionate to all his friends, and that when he kisses Wonwoo, it's no different from the kisses he gives to Jihoon or Jun. He doesn't own Soonyoung or his kisses, but it doesn't keep away the bitter feeling Wonwoo tries so hard to suppress.

"You know I could go out with you to drink if you want," Wonwoo tells him but what he really means is _you could also kiss me as much as you want to_.

He hasn't gone out drinking with Soonyoung in the past semester due to his heavy course load. But everyone including Soonyoung's grandma knows that if Soonyoung ever called Wonwoo to pick him up from a bar at 2 in the morning, he'd be there in a heartbeat.

"I know, I know," Soonyoung says, fingers playing with the sleeve of Wonwoo's oversized cardigan. "But I also know that you've been studying really hard because of your classes and that your grades are very important to you. I don't want to get in the way of that."

"You don't need to worry about that," Wonwoo says, slipping his fingers into Soonyoung's fidgety ones. "What kind of best friend would I be if I can't be there for you when you need me?"

"You're so cheesy," Soonyoung pushes him by the shoulder, face scrunched in amusement. Soonyoung may act like he's against it but Wonwoo knows he likes it when he's given close attention like this, so much that he doesn't know what to do with it. "But thank you. I really appreciate it."

Soonyoung looks so pretty like this, sheepish and sweet with his cheeks rosy and full as his mouth turns up to smile at Wonwoo. If Wonwoo was a braver man, he would have taken Soonyoung's face into his hands and kissed him deep and slow. But Wonwoo's not a brave man and his love for Soonyoung has instead made him weak and wallow. He's trapped in a cage of his own construction, and the only way out is his admission of love.

"Of course, anything for you," Wonwoo tells Soonyoung, earnest like a field of golden reeds. Soonyoung grins, fully formed and ready to run. He kisses Wonwoo on the cheek as thanks.

"So you'll come and meet Seokmin, right?" Soonyoung asks to confirm, his hands warm in Wonwoo's. "I just really want you guys to get to know each other so we can all hang out.

 _Anything for you_ , Wonwoo's words ring in his mind. "Alright, I'll go. But you have to buy me food."

"Of course! I'm older than both of you," Soonyoung smiles, "I'll make sure we all eat deliciously and that you meet each other well."

"I hope so too," Wonwoo says, thinking about Seokmin and how he has no idea of who he is or how he'll change things between him and Soonyoung. "I'll look forward to it."

☆ ☆ ☆ 

"So how long have you and Kwon Soonyoung been together?" Jeonghan asks him, sliding into the seat in front of him at the library table he's occupying by himself.

"What?" Seokmin tries to whisper but it comes out loud enough for something to send a sharp _shhhhh_ his way.

"You and Kwon Soonyoung," Jeonghan repeats himself, setting up his books and things in front of him. He has a thick organic chemistry textbook with him, reminding Seokmin that Jeonghan doesn't even go here. It's filled with different shades of pastel highlights and a cute little Molang sticky note on almost every page. It almost distracts Seokmin from Jeonghan's question, but he doesn't want to hear it from Jeonghan again.

"What do you mean? We're just friends," Seokmin says, setting down his own highlighter on top of the thick script he has to read for his playwriting workshop class.

"That's not what everyone's been saying," Jeonghan tells him, a small amused smile on his face as he leans it into his hand. "Everyone's been talking about the new campus couple SeokSoon."

"Eh, you're just making this up," Seokmin shakes his head. He knows Jeonghan has a penchant for tricks like this, and he's not going to fall for them again. "There's no way people are saying things like that."

"Okay, the couple name I totally made up. But doesn't it sound cute?" Jeonghan admits, melting in a way that would seem so arresting if Seokmin didn't know any better. "But people have been talking about you and Soonyoung. If you two aren't dating, then what exactly is your relationship with one another?"

Seokmin feels like he's in the hot seat but without any scathing revelation to present. He's empty-handed but decides to be honest.

"Like I said, we're just friends," Seokmin tries brushing him off. He hopes he sounds unaffected enough that Jeonghan will leave him alone.

But Jeonghan doesn't.

"I swear I saw the two of you kiss at Mingyu's party last week," Jeonghan tells him, and Seokmin is unable to deny it because Soonyoung did kiss him. 

Seokmin feels his face heat up and he looks down on the page he's paused on. "He's like that to everyone."

"Oh but he's never kissed me on the mouth like that before," Jeonghan goes on, "I know that it's more acceptable now to kiss your friends casually but I don't think I've seen Soonyoung kiss anyone like that."

Seokmin has to admit defeat at Jeonghan’s point. Soonyoung has the habit for being affectionate to all his friends, and the kisses come front and center when he’s had a few drinks in his system. Soonyoung always asks for kisses from Seokmin because even when Seokmin jokes about not wanting them he never really refuses Soonyoung. But recently Soonyoung has formed the habit of holding Seokmin’s face and pressing kisses onto his mouth, giggling and pink afterwards.

"Okay, fine," Seokmin surrenders, "What do you want me to say? That Soonyoung and I are dating? Because we really aren't, I swear."

"But do you want to date him?" Jeonghan asks him, still very interested in Seokmin and Soonyoung's business.

"I mean..." Seokmin trails off, licking his lips and then biting them, a nervous habit, “Soonyoung is very cute and kind and smart too. He’s very passionate and energetic. I think it would be easy for anyone to fall for all his charms.”

“Even you?” Jeonghan asks him, hitting the target, spot on.

“Yeah,” Seokmin admits, letting go of the secret he hasn’t been very good at hiding. “Even me.”

☆ ☆ ☆ 

Wonwoo’s best friend is Soonyoung. But don’t get him wrong, Wonwoo has enough space in his heart for other people too. Jihoon followed along in their last year of high school and gave into Soonyoung’s pestering after a few weeks. Meanwhile, Jun is someone Wonwoo became friends with in the first month of university after they kept crossing paths while following the campus cats. 

The three of them agreed to become roommates along the way and settled into their off campus apartment. Soonyoung is a close friend to them too. They’re all the same age with barely anything tying them together interest wise. The only common denominator they have is their age and how they all find felines relatable.

And usually he’s a better friend, but Wonwoo has been a bit stressed about Soonyoung and how he wants Wonwoo to meet Seokmin. It’s all that he can think about at night and it’s all he talks about to his friends when he has the chance.

“All he talks about is Seokmin, Seokmin, Seokmin,” Wonwoo complains to the table. “I was his best friend first but he’s always hanging out with him.”

“It’s probably because they go to the same uni,” Jihoon points out, “You know, kinda like how we’re always hanging out because it’s convenient for us.”

“I know, but even when I make the trip to go see him and hang out he’s always saying ‘Seokmin, this. Seokmin, that.’” Wonwoo continues to frown. 

“The only solution I can think of is you transferring to his uni,” Jun offers. Wonwoo rolls his eyes at him, poking him at his sides where he’s ticklish.

“Hey!” Jun protests through laughs, “I’m only trying to help.”

“Well, it’s not helping,” Wonwoo rubs his face with his hands and slumps over the table, his head on his arms. “I don’t know what to do…”

“Maybe you should ask him out? You know, get your shit together and ask Soonyoung to date you?” Jihoon says, because it is the most obvious thing in the world and because Jihoon is more earnest than he thinks he is. “Please go and ask Soonyoung out and end our misery, including yours.”

“And if you think about it, if you don’t ask him out, that Seokmin guy might beat you to it!” Jun tells him, patting him on the shoulder. But it’s more condescending than consoling to Wonwoo. 

Wonwoo knows that his friends are right and they’re trying their best to be helpful, but he feels stuck and unable to move forward with Soonyoung. He was happy with how things were before Seokmin came into the picture and now he’s uncertain about his place in Soonyoung’s life. 

He really should just ask Soonyoung out. He’s had years to do it but he hasn’t. He isn’t ready. And he won’t be ready any time soon, not today nor tomorrow. _It’s not you. It’s me._ Wonwoo thinks to himself. _And maybe, it might be Seokmin._

☆ ☆ ☆ 

After Seokmin’s conversation with Jeonghan at the library, Soonyoung told him that he wants Seokmin to meet Wonwoo, and that Wonwoo wants to meet him too.

“Are you sure that it’ll be okay?” Seokmin asked Soonyoung, just making sure that he wasn’t crossing any lines. “Is it really alright with you?”

“Of course it is! I’m not one of those people who like to keep their friend groups separated,” Soonyoung assured him. “I want us all to get along so we can hangout together, and bring you and Wonwoo closer too!”

“Alright,” Seokmin decided to go along with what Soonyoung wanted. “I hope it all goes well.”

“It will! I promise,” Soonyoung said, thrilled that his two best friends would be meeting each other very, very soon. “Ah I’m so glad!”

It made Seokmin glad too, seeing Soonyoung over the moon. But it also brought along a bit of worry, the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he’s never been very good at keeping at bay. He tried his best to prepare himself and not give into the temptation of looking up Wonwoo on social media. Even though Seokmin knew that one’s social media would only give a hazy image of what someone is like, he figured it would help him figure out who Wonwoo might be outside of Soonyoung and his stories.

And that’s why Seokmin is stuck on his phone, looking at Wonwoo’s profile instead of enjoying tea time with Minghao and Seungkwan. Not that they mind anyway. They’re always congregating like this in Mingyu and Minghao’s place, talking about their boyfriends and letting Seokmin, boyfriendless Seokmin, listen to them complain about Jihoon and Mingyu. 

“Wow, this is Soonyoung’s best friend?” Seokmin says, his mouth agape in amazement. He scrolls down Wonwoo’s feed and finds a few photos of him, mostly just pictures with friends or him at events. The more recent selfies are increasingly more flattering compared to the older ones. "Woah, he's really handsome."

Seungkwan and Minghao pause their conversation about what multivitamins they’ve been into lately to give their attention to Seokmin instead.

"You're handsome too," Minghao doesn't miss a beat in assuring him. "And you take better pictures."

"Let me see!" Seungkwan demands, pulling on Seokmin's sleeve. He takes over scrolling through Wonwoo's feed. "Oh, you definitely have a better social media presence than whoever this is."

" _This_ is Soonyoung's best friend from high school," Seokmin tells him. "You know, the one he always talks about."

"That's a good shot," Minghao says, as they pass by a shot of a golden reed field. "His landscapes are better than his self-portraits."

"Did you just say 'self-portrait' instead of selfie?" Seungkwan asks Minghao, amazed. "You're such a grandma."

"Selfies are just modern self-portraits," Minghao shrugs, the art history major in him jumping out. "Oh wait look at this one."

Seungkwan pauses at a mirror selfie of Wonwoo and Soonyoung in matching brightly colored jackets and peace signs taken at an odd angle. Wonwoo has a head of full curls and Soonyoung's face looks so soft and squishy. It's actually a really cute picture and if Seokmin was the one holding the phone, he might have double tapped it.

"That's so cute," Seokmin says, zooming into the picture. "They look good together."

"Eh! Don't say that!" Seungkwan protests, shaking off Seokmin's fingers so that they can continue going through Wonwoo's pictures. "You shouldn't be giving up on Soonyoung just like that!"

"I'm not giving up on him..." Seokmin says with a small frown on his face. "I'm just saying that they look nice together."

"You need to be more confident in yourself," Minghao reminds him. They're still working on that. "Where is your conviction? Where is your heart?"

Minghao gives him a few solid pats on the left side of his chest to remind him.

"Not to be mean or anything," Seungkwan says as he usually does when he wants to say something bluntly. "But you're definitely hotter than this Wonwoo person."

"He looks smarter than me," Seokmin says, sheepishly. He did notice a bunch of pictures of books and art works on Wonwoo's feed and maybe it's the glasses, but Wonwoo seems so put together and well-read.

"Stop, don't do that," Minghao scolds him, like a mother would to their child. "You haven't even met him and you're already thinking like this."

"You have to be a bit more mean than this!" Seungkwan tells him, putting down the phone and taking Seokmin's face in his hands. "You're too nice for your own good!"

"Seungkwan's right," Minghao agrees, putting his hands on Seokmin's shoulders. "You shouldn't care about Wonwoo. Just focus on Soonyoung and how you plan on getting him."

"You need to assert yourself better!" Seungkwan says, looking him in the eye to really get his point across. "And besides, if Wonwoo actually liked Soonyoung, he would have done something by now but Soonyoung is still single. And now it's Lee Seokmin's time to shine and win his heart!"

This makes Seokmin laugh, grateful for his friends' motivating words and endless support. He wishes that he had half the courage and strength Minghao and Seungkwan had. Maybe if he did, he wouldn’t be boyfriendless anymore. Maybe he would kiss Soonyoung first instead of just anticipating for the next time Soonyoung lands his lips on him.

“I’m meeting him next week,” Seokmin tells him, putting away his phone so he can sigh and run a hand through his hair. “Soonyoung is really hoping that we get along. But what if we don’t?”

“Ey, don’t worry about that,” Seungkwan scolds him.

“You can worry about it a little bit,” Minghao says in return, softer than Seungkwan.

“I’ll worry about it a little,” Seokmin smiles a little, humoring them. “But I’m hoping for the best.”

“Good,” Seungkwan says, squeezing his face a little so his cheeks puff up like a squirrel. “It’s what you deserve.”

☆ ☆ ☆ 

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. This is what leads Wonwoo to look up Seokmin's social media. He's sitting on the couch of their room when he looks up Soonyoung's account and sees a recent story of him and Seokmin at a pizza place near their uni.

Wonwoo has definitely seen glimpses of Seokmin in passing in Soonyoung's social media posts. But Soonyoung's posts are often shaky and brief, spur of the moment photos and quick videos. And besides, Wonwoo doesn't even spend that much time on social media when he has books and video games occupying his free time.

He presses on Seokmin's username and it leads Wonwoo to an account filled with tasteful pictures with cute and thoughtful captions like _"I wish everyone a warm night"_ and _"I'm serious about the walnut biscuits."_

And there's no denying that Seokmin's very attractive. He has strong features with a gentle feel to him, like he's never gotten really angry in his life. His profile is handsome but he shines when he smiles. His body is well-proportioned too, like he works out diligently and knows how to take care of himself well.

"What are you looking at? Why is your face like that?" Jihoon asks him from behind the couch. Wonwoo hears his footsteps as he comes closer. "Are you stalking someone on the internet?"

"Who's stalking who?" Junhui joins in, emerging from his room.

"Wonwoo's looking at this person's profile, but he's never on SNS," Jihoon tells him, moving to sit down next to Wonwoo. "Who is this?"

"This is Lee Seokmin," Wonwoo says, giving Jihoon the phone between them so he can take a better look. "You know, Soonyoung's new college best friend."

"Of course," Jun says, flat and unsurprised. Wonwoo knows he's rolling his eyes as he speaks. "How can we not know who he is?"

“This is Lee Seokmin? What the hell Wonwoo? He’s so hot.” Jihoon says, scrolling through his Instagram page. It’s full of well-taken selfies and pictures at events and scenic places. Seokmin is quite popular too with tons of compliments and likes on all his posts.

“How is that my fault?” Wonwoo asks them.

“It’s your fault for not checking his SNS earlier and making us aware of his existence.” Jun agrees, looking over Jihoon’s shoulder.

Wonwoo frowns. Why is this Lee Seokmin fellow so handsome? It’s not fair. But it’s not like Wonwoo considers himself to be unattractive. He thinks he’s handsome too but he’s less outspoken about it unlike his friends.

“Amazing,” Jihoon is still scrolling through his pictures and stops on a full body shot of him in well-fitting pants and a sleeveless tee. “His face and body is amazing.”

“I thought you were on my side, Jihoon,” Wonwoo grumbles. “And besides, why are you being thirsty over a couple of pics? I thought Mingyu set you up with one of his high school friends?”

“Seungkwannie and I are in an open relationship,” Jihoon says in an offhand tone. Wonwoo and Jun have always known and supported Jihoon's decisions as a non-monogamous person. “And even if we weren’t, I’m allowed to acknowledge a meal of man when I see one.”

"Well, this is him," Wonwoo says, continuing to look at Seokmin's profile. He seems like a really nice guy, with his attractiveness a great bonus. He even spots a picture of him and Soonyoung on a birthday greeting post Seokmin made for Soonyoung last year. "He seems nice."

"It's okay Wonwoo, you can say that you find him hot too," Jun teases him, "No need to hide anything from us."

Wonwoo's just a little ruffled by Jun's comments but manages to sound cool and unaffected. "He is. I'll acknowledge that."

"Don't worry you're handsome too," Jihoon hands him back his phone and pats him on the back. "You can be cute too, if you really try."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Wonwoo says, ignoring Jihoon's backhandedness. He and Jun are laughing but Wonwoo knows that they support him despite all their teasing. "Well, you know there's this saying..."

" _'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'_?" Jun offers, draping an arm on both him and Jihoon.

"Yeah," Wonwoo decides, looking at Lee Seokmin's handsome face one more time before he locks his phone, "Let's go with that one."

☆ ☆ ☆ 

Seokmin and Soonyoung are walking to the older's next class hand in hand when Seokmin decides to pop the question. "Soonyoung, I've been meaning to ask you something..."

"Hm, what is it?" Soonyoung asks in return, swinging their hands in between the two of them.

"It's about Wonwoo," Seokmin says, unsure of how to spill it to him. "So you guys have been best friends since high school, right?"

"Yeah! Since ninth grade," Soonyoung tells him, just like he has dozens of times before. Seokmin hopes that his hand isn't shaking as bad as he thinks it is in Soonyoung's hold.

“But Wonwoo isn’t your boyfriend, right?” Seokmin asks him, biting on his lip, worrying that it'll sound too suspicious.

“No, he isn't." Soonyoung is sheepish now in his reply and Seokmin watches how his face blossoms pink, all the way to his ears. That must mean something if Seokmin's judgement of body language is correct. "We've never dated."

"But have you ever thought about it?" Seokmin presses on before he changes his mind. "No, actually. You can forget that I just asked. It's fine. I didn't mean to pry."

"No, no! It's okay. Asking, I mean," Soonyoung assures him, squeezing Seokmin's hand in his. "It's just that... I think I have at some point or another. He's my best friend, you know. I think the idea of considering dating just comes to you, whether you like it or not."

Seokmin nods along, listening to what Soonyoung has to say. He doesn't mind Soonyoung rambling, especially since he looks cute all pink in the face.

"I mean, haven't you ever thought about dating Seungkwan or Mingyu?" Soonyoung volleys the conversation into his court.

"I have," Seokmin tells him, thinking about that one week he and Seungkwan tried to date. He and Seungkwan were too young to really comprehend the commitment and work needed for an actual relationship and ended up just making out under the bleachers every day until they broke up. "I think I understand."

"So yeah," Soonyoung trails off, his fingers unfolding and folding themselves back into Seokmin's hold. "We've never dated."

“That's good,” Seokmin says without thinking. He covers his mouth with his free hand, surprised at his own words.

“Good?” Soonyoung asks, looking lost and confused with Seokmin's sudden statement. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Seokmin continues to move his mouth without fully thinking about the consequences of his actions and shifts gears into something he's more well-versed in: humor.

" _Aigoo grandma, it's good because it means that your heart has room for only me_ ," he starts speaking in his husky budget grandfather voice, squinting his eyes and pulling Soonyoung closer to him.

Soonyoung laughs, and thankfully goes along with Seokmin's unexpected skit. He also squints and puts on his high pitched imitation grandma voice to go along. " _Aigoo grandpa, of course it's only you! We've been married for more than fifty years now!_ "

" _And we'll be married for fifty more!_ " Grandpa Seokmin says, breaking character at the end and bursting into laughter.

He and Soonyoung are laughing together, hands still intertwined, standing in front of Soonyoung's classroom. The only thing that stops them from launching into more grandparents shenanigans is the bell ringing, reminding them that they're still on campus and have things to attend to.

" _Aigoo grandpa, I have to go to my art history lecture now_ ," Soonyoung says, letting go of Seokmin's hand. "But I'll miss you."

Seokmin chuckles, bending down so that Soonyoung can press a kiss on his cheek, a part of their routine. "I'll see you after class."

Seokmin is walking backwards, grinning at Soonyoung, who blows a kiss in his direction before entering the classroom. It makes Seokmin's heart flutter, that he can have this with Soonyoung, the assurance of his affection, and the time they spend with each other.

"Just once," Seokmin hears Mingyu sighing from behind him, "Just once can you guys not be all gross and touchy. You don’t have to do this every time!"

Seokmin would usually already be saying something clever in return to Mingyu but he's still stuck on Soonyoung and thinking about how he doesn't want things to change. It lasts for the briefest of moments until he remembers how their conversation started. He thinks about Wonwoo and the way Soonyoung blushed when he admitted to entertaining the idea of dating him.

"Hey, are you okay? You've just been staring into space," Mingyu puts a hand on his shoulder, breaking his train of thought. "I've never seen you this quiet."

Seokmin decides that if he's happy with the way things currently are, he's going to have to do something about it, even if it means he needs to change a little. He looks at Mingyu and the concern on his face when he says, "Hey, do you think you can teach me how to be a little mean?"

☆ ☆ ☆ 

It only takes one train and one bus to make the 15 minute trip from Wonwoo's campus to Soonyoung's. Wonwoo doesn’t make the trip that often nowadays. He’s been stuck on campus studying, attending lectures and long lab sessions. His workload is tough but he likes what he’s learning and sees it as his own expression of passion.

But he knows it might be the reason why Soonyoung looked for companionship elsewhere. And that’s valid. Wonwoo isn’t and can’t be mad at him for it, especially knowing Soonyoung as well as he does.

Sure, Wonwoo and Soonyoung had been attached at the hip since becoming fast friends in high school, but their passions and interests were always distinct and on opposite sides of the table. Wonwoo spent his time in novels and games, and helping out in their school’s garden club. Meanwhile Soonyoung was busy being class president and winning awards with his dance crew. 

College applications pulled them apart but their friendship held together, even when tested with the possibility of distance. Their choices in schools didn’t match up but they ended up going to schools in the same neighborhood anyway.

15 minutes of distance is all too bad. If Wonwoo really wanted to, he could be with Soonyoung almost every day. But Wonwoo has priorities other than Soonyoung, and Soonyoung honors them as much as Wonwoo honors Soonyoung’s priorities.

It feels like only yesterday that Wonwoo was the new kid at their high school, nervous about his first day there. Soonyoung was the first person to talk to him.

 _”Hey, you’re the new kid right?”_ Soonyoung asked him. Soonyoung had the feeling of a delinquent back then with his unbuttoned uniform and trio of piercings on his ear. Wonwoo knew he had a neutral face that made him look standoffish so he braced himself for confrontation. He’d watched enough dramas with his mom to know how things could get ugly.

 _”Yes, that’s me. I’m Jeon Wonwoo.”_ He replied politely. But instead of conflict there was laughter. Soonyoung laughed brightly, with his eyes turned upwards and his shoulders shaking. Wonwoo was confused, unsure of how his statement could come off funny.

 _”Aish, you don’t have to be so formal with me! We’re probably the same age, right? Where did you transfer from? I transferred from Maseok just last year. Do you know where that is? Maseok?”_ And with that Wonwoo found himself with a new friend, a bond that grew deeply and widely as the days went by.

Wonwoo’s youth was filled with days with Soonyoung, growing up and getting past the tough parts of it together. But still, Wonwoo thinks that it was a good thing that they ended up in separate schools. Now they’ve been growing individually and working towards the best versions of themselves. And they have the assurance that they always come back to each other whenever they want.

A 15 minute trip is all that it takes for Wonwoo to arrive at Soonyoung’s side of the neighborhood. Soonyoung had texted him before he left that he and Seokmin were waiting for him at the dessert cafe near the fine arts building. It’s a bit chilly now as Wonwoo walks there, the autumn breeze settling into something cooler as it nears the end of November. 

It takes another 5 minutes for Wonwoo to arrive at the cafe, pink-nosed and hands cold in his pockets. He spots Soonyoung’s white blond head at the corner they like to sit at but he isn’t prepared to see Lee Seokmin for the first time, in the flesh. 

Seokmin’s features are strong but soften up when he smiles at Soonyoung, the corners of his eyes crinkling deeply and the wideness of his smile showing off all his teeth. His hair is a gentle auburn shade and goes well with the tanned glow of his skin. Wonwoo finds himself out of breath, too stunned to remember that it’s not polite to stare.

“Oh, it’s Wonwoo!” Soonyoung’s voice cuts through his thoughts. Wonwoo’s eyes move towards him, seated next to Seokmin, waving his hand up to get Wonwoo’s attention. “Hey, come over here!”

Wonwoo smiles to himself, bowing his head slightly. He walks over to them greeting the staff on the way. When he gets to the table, Lee Seokmin is staring at him, like he’s choosing between fight or flight. His chair scraps against the floor loudly in his haste to stand up.

“Hello, I’m Lee Seokmin. It’s nice to finally meet you, Jeon Wonwoo.”


End file.
